Club Ride Saturday 29th March 2014

I’m rather partial to a farm shop, although as the saying goes, I couldn’t eat a whole one.  Some of them are even attached to farms, but quite how much produce actually makes it from the farm to the shop is anyone’s guess.  Of course there’s a premium to pay, although farm shop devotees will tell you that if you buy better quality food you end up eating less of it, which evens things out.

The Allington Farm Shop happens to be my mum’s favourite farm shop. I say favourite, it’s actually the only one she ever goes to and to the best of my knowledge she only has two others to compare it with.

When Howard first mentioned calling at the Allington Farm Shop, an idea instantly began to form in my mind whereby I could combine the club ride with my Mother’s Day obligations by getting her to meet me there.  Just as quickly though I dismissed the notion, which was clearly ridiculous, not least because she's 82 years of age and hasn't ridden for years.

Arriving at the Allington Farm Shop after a very lively ride we were greeted by Howard and Clive. Al fresco we enjoyed our coffees and for a couple of us, a satisfying, generous wedge of moist apple and cider bread pudding, without an apple orchard or cider press in sight.

Garmins were very much the topic of conversation with most of the technical jargon sailing blissfully over the top of my rapidly thinning thatch. I did manage to make a mental note of a few buzz words which when I get mine will hopefully help me to blag it.

Remounting, it was a pleasure not to have to put soggy clothing back on. With the unique sense of freedom which always accompanies the first ride of the year in a pair of cycling shorts, we set off for home in much the same vain as before.

Garmin reference: http://connect.garmin.com/course/6056491

Club Ride Saturday 22nd March 2014

According to Cycling Weekly, two thirds of the Nation’s bicycles spend their time gathering dust in garden sheds and rarely see the light of day.  As we set off from our usual rallying point, with a planned coffee stop at The Potting Shed in Crudwell, I couldn’t help wondering whether the public house had any bicycles hidden away.  

It was good to welcome Kevin as a guest rider and also to see John back in harness. As has become the norm of late, we left in two groups.  With John displaying the sort of vigour you might expect to see from a pit pony brought up for its annual holiday, those going the longer way around, headed out through Garsdon  at a fair old lick. (Amazingly, the last horse to work in a British coal mine was only retired in 1999. I just thought I’d throw that in)

Our pincer-like approach to The Potting Shed became a three pronged attack when we passed Heather and Simon at Hankerton. We were now up to 10 riders, just shy of our best ever turnout.

Arrival at The Potting Shed might not have been simultaneous, but it was within a reasonable time frame and meant that we were able to socialise as a group together.

A superficial scan of The Potting Shed’s outbuildings before we left revealed the presence of a small farmer’s market, but no bikes.

The above picture is now on the homepage of our website, so if you want to get a better look at yourself, you know where to go.

Garmin reference: connect.garmin.com/course/5993081

Sportive Sunday 16th March 2014

I was unable to make the club ride on Saturday, so instead I thought I’d let you know about the sportive I did on Sunday with George W. This was the last in Performance Cycles’ winter mini-sportive series. Entry was just £7 with a few freebies at the start and included hot drinks, bacon rolls and cake at the finish. With numbers limited to just 175, it should come as no surprise when I tell you that they ran out of places some weeks ago and also had to stop adding names to the waiting list.

There was a choice of either 74.5km or 102km. The two rides on offer both followed the same course up until the 57km mark. According to the elevation map the serious climbing would already be in the bag by then and with the promise of plenty of sunshine my mind was made up the night before, it had to be the 102km.

Long Route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4043514

Short Route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4036198

We arrived in good time at the Cotswold Water Park. Performance Cycles don’t do ‘faffing around.’ Parking and registration were hassle-free. Judging by the amount of lean looking, Castelli clad riders, there were a fair few who weren’t going to be hanging around. We opted to ride at the tail end of the second wave and hoped we were far enough back to avoid a demoralising stream of cyclists passing us.

Settling into a brisk pace we headed west out towards Nailsworth via Kemble, Cherrington and Avening. As the highly impressive Stroud peloton purred past, one of their riders seeing my MCCC jersey introduced himself as Mike West and said that he’d just joined our Strava Club. (Mike lives in Malmesbury and was keen to see what his local cycling club was up to).

The descent from Avening into Nailsworth was spoiled by the two sets of temporary traffic lights, typically both on red when I reached them. After waiting for what seemed like an age at the second set, pedal power prevailed and we all went through en masse with the lights still against us.

The hill out of Nailsworth up onto Minchinhampton Common was a bit of a beast, but now travelling eastwards we were treated to some fantastic countryside as we rode through Frampton Mansell and Sapperton before taking a bit of a dog’s leg around to Daglingworth.

Our original intention was to do our own thing, but with the field well and truly spread out by now, I enjoyed having the company and we made useful sparring partners doing our best to keep the pace up.

With the two steepest climbs behind us and just the lumps and bumps to worry about we headed for the split point. My DIY bike fit where I experimented with my saddle height and position to try and rid myself of a niggling knee injury seemed to be working and I had no hesitation in taking the longer route.

The sun had definitely brought the crowds out. We found Bibury awash with tourists and the road through the village choked with motorbikes. Leaving the hustle and bustle behind, we rode down to Fairford, skirted the airfield and then crossed the A419 back to the start.

A lakeside cup of tea and three slices of guilt-free cake were very much enjoyed by me whilst George W’s bacon roll disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Time taken: 4 hours 40 minutes

Club Ride Saturday 15th March 2014

I'm grateful for the following report from Howard:

Arriving just before 10am, I couldn’t help but notice that a strong team of super fit Malmesbury Clarions had already assembled for the start of the epic Saturday club run. The sun was shining, the weather warm and, shock horror, shorts were in evidence, two pairs in fact! Oh well.

There were enough riders to form two teams and the slower, recovery team set off immediately leaving the ‘elite’ group to await late turner uppers. The aim was to get to the Relish (formally Coots {when can I stop typing that?}) café by 11.45. This was to a greater or lesser extent achieved but it wasn’t until after an epic battle on the rise to Garsdon where the ‘elite’ group put the recovery group well and truly to the sword. Riding along quietly, and at our own pace, the peace was suddenly shattered by a war cry from behind. Expecting the worse, we, the recovery group, were attacked, with very little warning by the ‘elite’ group who used all sorts of dubious and unprofessional tactics (mainly fitness and speed) to jump past us and leave us for dead! 

Where was the cycling camaraderie, the fellowship and encouragement our sport is famous for? Well, absent if you ask me!

There was nothing for it, we in the recovery group had to use devious methods to try to get to the café on time, and speed was not one of them. The answer?, to put The route aside and take short cuts where possible. By using local knowledge about four miles were knocked off the original route’s distance and arrival within a reasonable time of the ‘elite’ group was assured. They were still ordering coffee when we arrived.

This idea of having a set time in which to arrive at the mid-point stop worked well for us. In fact three separate groups arrived at the café, the other having cycled from a slightly different point meaning that, in the end we formed a fairly large group for the break.

And as for the ride home, I have no idea. My car was waiting for me at the stop and I had the dubious luxury of a drive home. On balance, though, I would much rather have cycled with the other club members. What did I miss?

Club Ride Saturday 8th March 2014

Last weekend, in our different groups, we performed like a barbershop quartet; in perfect harmony. So much so, that on Sunday, with both groups having taken a wrong turn, we still managed to find each other.

Sensibly sticking with a winning formula, this Saturday’s ride was organised on the same lines. Howard and Clive would lead the charge by taking the direct route to the Star Café at Hullavington whilst the rest of us took a more circuitous course.

The difference between success and failure can sometimes be a very narrow margin.

High Street traffic and pedestrians safely negotiated, we climbed the rise on the Foxley Road and veered off towards Corston.  There was a definite spring in our step (pedals) as we set about the task with some purpose.

The sun made short work of burning off the remnants of the early morning mist and there was an unmistakable feeling of summer at last getting just that little bit closer.

Gaining height up through Rodbourne we rode down through Startley, into Great Somerford, across to Seagry and over to Hullavington.

Any mental picture we might have formed of Howard and Clive enjoying their coffee of choice over a slice of cake was quickly laid to rest when we stopped outside of the café. Not only was there no sign of Howard and Clive, the café was closed with nothing to indicate that it would be opening any time soon.

I did feel a little guilty as the venue was my suggestion, but in my defence, I’ve ridden past it a few times not that long ago, when it has been open.  I’ve also seen it on Chippenham Wheelers’ calendar.

After waiting for around ten minutes the unanimous view taken was that Howard and Clive must already have been and gone.  Consumed by our quest for coffee, as opposed to Howard and Clive’s wellbeing, high gears were the order of the day as we tore back to Malmesbury.

Whilst cyclists might be as popular as boils with some motorists, café owners (those that are open anyway) have good cause to smile when a cycling club pays them a visit. In the face of stiff opposition we managed to grab a couple of tables outside of Jackdaws just after they’d been vacated by another group of riders.

Before too long we were joined by Howard and Clive. Apart from a brisk wind which sent the lightweight sugar sachet pot flying, it was a pleasure to enjoy the warmth of the sun. With the awful prospect of our respective partners finding some essential job for us if we returned home too early, there was no rush to get away.

Reliability Ride Sunday 2nd March 2014

Rounding the Town Hall it was good to see a healthy gathering of Clarions ready for the start of our 2nd Reliability Ride. We were delighted to be joined by Alice (Ted’s wife) who was riding with us for the first time.

Our numbers were further boosted by Howard and Dave who were going to ride with us as far as Norton.

As we ventured out onto the Foxley Road Jim was happy to lead the pack. There was a certain amount of hesitancy in our cycling, perhaps where we were mindful of the fairly lumpy route ahead and the predicted worsening weather. This left Jim to plough something of a lone furrow and a gap soon opened up. Howard, throwing caution to the wind, responded and rightly chastised those around him as he joined Jim at the front.

After Yatton Keynell two groups of three started to take shape.

We found Castle Combe busy with mainly Japanese tourists. The award winning village can be difficult to negotiate. Tourists consumed by the chocolate box appeal are inclined to step out into the road without warning, normally backwards as they try and capture the perfect shot.

One rider (George W) decided to attack the hill out of Castle Combe with venom and in doing so over-shot the turn he should have taken towards the top. I rode after him and found him waiting at the junction with the A420. Being without a Garmin we then had to ride like fury to catch up with the others.

Finding Tim H waiting for us at a crossroads where I would have undoubtedly taken a wrong turning was a welcome site. We then had to pile it on to catch up with the other three, which we did somewhere not that far from Marshfield.

By now there was a steady drizzle and the wind was getting up.

Me, Tim H and George W intended to push on a bit, but our (my) feeble efforts all came to nothing as Jim, Ted and Alice kept catching up with us at major junctions.

Having eventually managed to cross the A46 we took the steep descent skirting Dyrham Park where it was a definite case of having to ride on our brakes to stop us running out of control.

Reaching the bottom we were all too aware that before long we’d have some climbing to do when we turned eastwards.

Feeling cold and with our spirits at a bit of a low ebb, like an oasis in a desert, Quackers, a farm shop at Hinton near Pucklechurch, suddenly sprung up out of nowhere. The chance of a hot drink and a slice of cake was one we weren’t about to waste. A pot of Somerset blend tea for one was just £1.20 and the reasonably priced cake came in generous wedges.  The pleasant staff made us very welcome.

The ascent of Hinton Hill proved less arduous than I thought it might be and towards the summit me, Tim H and George W parted company with the others, as we again set about ramping up the pace.

The low mist, poor light and constant drizzle made studying Garmin screens very tricky. Battling with the elements we made our way up to Tormarton, over to Acton Turville, through the Badminton Estate and into Sherston.  As we neared the junction with the B4040, to our utter amazement we then saw Jim, Ted and Alice riding across the face of the junction travelling from the direction of Luckington.  There was some friendly banter as to which group had gone off course, but amusingly, later reference to Ted and George W’s Strava maps, revealed that both groups had!

A heavy downpour on the way back into Malmesbury rounded off a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Club Ride Saturday 1st March 2014

The new MCCC coffee wagon is finally revealed!

Eight riders, well over a third of our membership, gathered this morning at our usual muster point in brilliant sunshine, by which time the odd patch of ice here and there had already melted away.

It was good to see that our latest recruit Gary from Crudwell, had returned, even if it did cost me the price of a cup of coffee, as I had promised.

We seem to have cracked the tricky issue of getting two groups to the same location at around the same time. Our port of call was to be Lyndsey’s (formerly the Two Toads) in Tetbury. Most of us, including myself, took Jim’s longer route whilst the others followed a more direct path.

With some members planning to take part in the Reliability Ride the following day, no one wanted to force things too much and so we soon settled into a fairly relaxed pace.

We rode out to Sherston , up through Knockdown to Leighterton and then across to Tetbury. Some of these roads were new to me and so made something of a pleasant change.

Amazingly, demonstrating  the sort of timing Len Goodman from BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing would score highly,  the two groups managed to merge seamlessly  just around the corner from the café.   

After an enjoyable cup of coffee we remounted and once again went our separate ways. 

Continuing with Jim’s course we cycled north up to Cherrington before turning for home via Oaksey and Charlton.

Garmin Reference: connect.garmin.com/course/5811202

Mileage: 32.32 miles